..####.#.# ...#.#..#.
.#...##### ..####.##.
##..#..... .#...##.#.
.#.##....# ##..#.####
###.#...## .#.###...#
..###..#.. gray skies, swirling with soot. stony ###..#..#.
.#..#.##.# ground with no hints of vegetation. ..#.##.##.
##.###.##. .###.##.#.
.##..##.#. below the surface are the mines, #..##.####
#.#.#.#### spiraling down into the crust. small #.#.##...#
######...# compared to the caverns they eventually ####.#..#.
.....#..#. reach and join with. the temperature is ...###.###
....##.##. higher down here, and the view is not ..#..##..#
...#.##.#. as monochrome: a green light beckons .##.#.#.##
..###.###. from below. #.######.#
.#..##..#. ##.....###
##.#.#.### long ago, there was a lifeform here. in .#....#..#
.######..# the center of the planetoid, something ##...##.#.
#.....#.#. dormant, waiting for a collision with .#..#.###.
#....####. another body. but no planet was ##.###..##
#...#...## reached, and over time, the seedling .##..#.#..
#..##..#.. became a sludge. #.#.####.#
#.#.#.##.# ####...##.
######.### and elves came as miners, and the ...#..#.##
.....##... sludge was bottled. ..##.###..
....#.#... .#.##..#..
...####..# ######################################## ###.#.##..
..#...#.#. # # ..####.#..
.##..####. # #################################### # .#...###..
#.#.#...#. # # # # ##..#..#..
#####..##. # # #@@#§#§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§#§#@@# # # .#.##.##.#
....#.#.#. @ # # # # @ ###.##.##.
...####### @ # # the cargo ship is filled, # # @ ..##.##.#.
..#......# £ # @ prepared for launch, @ # £ .#.##.###.
.##.....#. § @ @ ignition sequence started @ @ § ###.##..#.
#.#....##. ; # @ hours ago. elves in the @ # ; ..##.#.##.
###...#.## ; § # passenger cabin, not yet # § ; .#.####.##
..#..###.# ~ ; # seated. but something is # ; ~ ###...##..
.##.#..### ~ ~ £ wrong. there is something £ ~ ~ ..#..#.#..
#.###.#..# - - § green around their mouths. § - - .##.####..
##..###.## - - ; the sludge has been sampled, ; - - #.##...#.#
.#.#..##.. - - ~ entertained, and then ~ - - ##.#..###.
####.#.#.. - - - finally binged on. - - - .###.#..#.
...#####.. . . . . . . #..###.###
..#....#.# . . . the engines are burning hot, . . . #.#..##..#
.##...###. and the ship accelerates ###.#.#.##
#.#..#..#. away. the elves have ..######.#
###.##.### strapped themselves in, and .#.....##.
..##.##... are lying completely still, ##....#.##
.#.##.#... like corpses. .#...###.#
###.###..# ##..#..###
..##..#.## .#.##.#...
.#.#.###.. ###.###...
#####..#.. ..##..#...
....#.##.. .#.#.##..#